Recent news

Researchers have claimed that teenagers with emotional and behavioural problems could be stopped from binge drinking if they undergo mental health therapy.

According to charity Action on Addiction, around six in every 10 11-15-year-olds in England say they drink, while around 5,000 teenagers are admitted to UK hospitals for alcohol-related problems every year.

Scientists from King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry worked in partnership with Canadian institutions The University of Montreal and Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre to gather information about the effectiveness of counselling on ‘high risk’ teen drinkers.

2000 ‘high risk’ young people suffering from emotional or behavioural problems were selected from 21 schools around London and monitored for two years. All volunteers were aged between 13 and 14 and had certain personality traits in common, including high levels of anxiety,...

Lesbians, bisexuals and gay men have fewer depressive symptoms and lower levels of physical stress than heterosexual people, researchers from the University of Montreal have claimed.

Robert-Paul Juster and his team were surprised by the results, given the social implications of being homosexual in a society that, in many places, does not openly tolerate same-sex relationships.

Despite their prediction that lesbians, gay men and bisexuals would suffer greater levels of stress than heterosexual people, the researchers discovered that those who were ‘out of the closet’ to family and friends had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than anyone else.

87 men and women around the age of 25 were asked to answer questionnaires as well as provide blood, saliva and urine samples to measure stress.

All participants came from the French-speaking province of Quebec in Canada, a place currently locked in a heated debate over...

A recent report has suggested that debt and irresponsible lending by the government is fueling a rise in depression in Britain.

Continuous intimidation from debt collectors and irresponsible lending is leading to a rise in depression and suicide according to a report published by the University of Brighton.

The report entitled ‘Responsible individuals and irresponsible institutions? Mental Health and the UK credit industry’ says that debt is set to have a huge impact on the public health sector. The university conducted interviews with debt counsellors, debt clients, employees recruited from the financial sector and other relevant stakeholders to investigate the relationship between depression and debt.

The report revealed that unexpected life events caused debt more so than irrational spending. Those in debt are no more likely to over-spend than those who are not in debt, however – they are generally on lower incomes...

The One Billion Rising campaign looks to bring women of all cultures and backgrounds together to put an end to violence against women.

The recent gang rape in Delhi has caught the media’s attention and highlighted the ongoing issue of violence against women. Support to end this violence has gone global, and it appears the One Billion Rising campaign has come at the right time.

The campaign invites women and those who support women to join forces on 14 February to dance, sing and rise up against violence.

“One billion women violated is an atrocity.

One billion dancing is a revolution.”

Eve Ensler (activist and creator of the campaign) has planned many events for the day which have already achieved several things, in particular the sense of solidarity between people looking to join in – no matter where they are in the world.

Giving self-help books to patients battling depression could speed up recovery and save money for the NHS, a new study has found.

The study, published in journal Plos One, involved over 200 patients who had been diagnosed with depression by their GP.

Over half of the participants were on antidepressant drugs. Randomly chosen individuals were given a self-help guide detailing ways to cope with depression, including advice on how to overcome sleeping problems and become more assertive.

Along with the books, the patients were given three sessions with an adviser who helped them get the most out of the books and plan for future changes.

When all patients were examined four months later, scientists found that those who used the self-help books had significantly lower levels of depression than those who just had regular GP care.

A year later, and the self-help group were still staying on top of their depression.

This weekend London will host Stereo-Hype, a festival celebrating the strengths and achievements of African and Caribbean people who suffer from mental health problems.

Stereo-Hype 2013 is free and open to everyone. It will be held between Friday 25 and Saturday 26 January at Stratford Circus, London.

A programme of music, film, comedy, drama, art and wellbeing workshops has been organised to raise awareness of mental health problems, promote wellbeing and stamp out stigma in the African and Caribbean community.

The festival has been organised by charities ‘Time to Change’ and ‘Mellow’ in partnership with ‘UK Council for Psychotherapy’ and ‘Social Action for Health’.

Friday will involve a hot buffet, short films and discussions, while activities for Saturday include face painting, workshops, alternative therapy taster sessions, an Errol Francis photography exhibition and DJ World Music. In...

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt believes doctors are denying dementia patients treatment and are refusing to carry out diagnostic tests for the disease, due to there being no effective cures available.

Mr. Hunt has recently said that Britain should be “ashamed” that so many have been denied treatment that could have staved off the condition for years. His comments came after a statement from the Alzheimer’s Society said dementia sufferers were facing a postcode lottery of diagnosis rates.

The statement was backed up by data suggesting that in some areas of the UK, just one in three people suffering from dementia will receive a formal diagnosis – while in other areas as many as three quarters will be diagnosed.

It’s been said that in 2012 just 46% of sufferers were diagnosed across the UK. Mr. Hunt says attitudes in the NHS and in society have to change.

Recent research has caused psychologists to challenge the view that Autism is an incurable condition.

There are thought to be an estimated 600,000 people in Britain affected by autism. The condition results in problems reading social situations and can cause the sufferer to respond inappropriately to social cues. For many, these issues can lead to an isolated and lonely life.

Autism ranges in severity and, because of this, it is estimated that around half of those affected are undiagnosed. The condition has always been thought to be incurable, although sufferers are often taught how to cope with their autism.

This idea is now being challenged after researchers funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIMH) carried out a study on a group of people who had previously been diagnosed with autism but were now considered ‘on par’ with their peers.

The study looked at 34 people (ages ranging from eight to 21) who had been...

Do you ever feel like you might be too emotionally involved in your work? If so, you might be at a higher risk of suffering burn-out from stress.

Findings from a recent study by researchers at the University of Bedfordshire showed that social workers who felt more empathy towards their clients also suffered more stress, anxiety and depression. Those who showed higher levels of stress were also less able to reflect on their work objectively.

300 social workers took part in the study, which spanned a period of three years.

The results have raised questions about the emotional relationship social workers have with their work.

Due to the often emotive nature of social work, having the ability to empathise is important. Rather worryingly, many trainees said they thought any expression of emotion in practice would be ‘unprofessional and undesirable’.